During a recent event at Lander University's Cambridge Hall, the Greenwood-Lander Performing Arts board of directors celebrated the completion of another performance season and welcomed new board members.
Made up of 20 members, GLPA's board is helmed by Jon Scott, president and Wesley Commons public relations and volunteer manager; Dave Lorenzatti, vice president and part-time writer for Lander's Office of University Relations and Publications; Dr. Reed Gallo, secretary and Lander assistant professor of music; George Brockenbrough, treasurer; and Traci Talley, assistant treasurer and senior accountant for Lander's Budget Office.
The board is made up of volunteers from Greenwood and surrounding counties, as well as five members appointed by Lander president Dr. Daniel Ball from Lander's faculty and staff. Other members are elected by the GLPA board of directors based on their support for and interest in the performing arts.
"GLPA is very fortunate to have interested and supportive board members from the community and the Lander family," said GLPA's executive director, Myra Shaffer. "We look forward to an exciting year with the assistance of these talented volunteers."
At the dinner, the GLPA board was given a preview of what the next performance season has to offer.
GLPA's upcoming roster will feature The 5 Browns, a quintet of Julliard-trained classical pianists; Celtic Crossroads, Irish music performed by seven world-class musicians; The Vienna Boys Choir, to help ring in the holiday season; Chamber Orchestra Kremlin, one of Russia's leading ensembles; and "'SWonderful," which paints a picture of nostalgia and entertainment while paying tribute to the incomparable songbook of George and Ira Gershwin.
The outreach season will also feature performances by The 5 Browns, Celtic Crossroads and Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. Other performances open to area schoolchildren include a production of the treasured tale "Charlotte's Web"; Tomie dePaola's "Strega Nona: The Musical," a tale of a friendly magical witch who strives to cure the ills of her tiny Italian town, Calabria; and "We the People," an all-new musical revue that brings American civics lessons to life.
"The 64th season of GLPA is being called 'Music From Around the World,'" said Shaffer. "We start with a performance group from Utah which will perform classical and contemporary music from an array of composers from all over the world, then we venture to Ireland with Celtic Crossroads to capture the sights and sounds of the Celtic culture. In November, Austria is represented with the sounds of The Vienna Boys Choir as they present holiday favorites and, in February, Russia comes to the stage with Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. In March, the season ends with the music of George and Ira Gershwin in the exciting musical 'SWonderful - bringing us home to the music of American icons."
Shaffer added, "Our outreach season is diverse and offers youth of our area an opportunity to experience professional performances as well as culturally diverse programming. We hope educators in the area do not pass up the opportunity to expose their students to the performing arts."
Season ticket prices for the five-concert series are: $165 for adults; $150 for seniors (65 or older) and Lander faculty and staff; and $85 for youth (18 and younger). Tickets for individual performances can be purchased, but season ticket orders will be processed before individual orders are filled. Therefore, individual tickets may not be available for all performances.
The GLPA staff explained that while ticket sales help, these quality productions would not be possible without sponsorship from area businesses and individual donors. Sponsorship opportunities for GLPA's outreach and evening performances are still available.
For sponsorship or donation questions, to purchase tickets or to become a volunteer, contact the GLPA office at 864-388-8326 or glpa@lander.edu.